Publications by authors named "R Minorics"

One of the major risks associated with the concomitant use of herbal products and therapeutic drugs is herb-drug interactions (HDIs). The most common mechanism leading to HDIs is the inhibition and/or induction of transport proteins and drug-metabolizing enzymes by herbal ingredients, causing changes in the pharmacokinetic disposition of the victim drug. The present study aimed to determine the potential interactions of (UT) (cat's claw), a popular herb due to its supposed health benefits.

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In the frame of our diversity-oriented research on multitarget small molecule anticancer agents, utilizing convergent synthetic sequences terminated by Sonogashira coupling reactions, a preliminary selection of representative alkyne-tethered vindoline hybrids was synthesized. The novel hybrids with additional pharmacophoric fragments of well-documented anticancer agents, including FDA-approved tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (imatinib and erlotinib) or ferrocene or chalcone units, were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity on malignant cell lines MDA-MB-231 (triple negative breast cancer), A2780 (ovarian cancer), HeLa (human cervical cancer), and SH-SY5Y (neuroblastoma) as well as on human embryonal lung fibroblast cell line MRC-5, which served as a reference non-malignant cell line for the assessment of the therapeutic window of the tested hybrids. The biological assays identified a trimethoxyphenyl-containing chalcone-vindoline hybrid () as a promising lead compound exhibiting submicromolar activity on A2780 cells with a marked therapeutic window.

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The clinical application of 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME) in cancer therapy has been limited by its low solubility and rapid metabolism. Derivatives of 2ME have been synthesised to enhance bioavailability and decrease hepatic metabolism. Compound , an analog of 2ME, has demonstrated exceptional pharmacological activity, in addition to promising pharmacokinetic profile.

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Fourteen diterpenes were isolated from methanol extracts of the aerial parts of, "Marginatus", and . The compounds belong to the abietane (-, -, and ), -clerodane (-), and -kaurane (, ) classes. Three new compounds were isolated from , including 3--acetylornatin G (), 3,12-di--acetylornatin G (), ornatin B methyl ester (), and ornatin F (), for which we proposed a revised structure.

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Directed structural modifications of natural products offer excellent opportunities to develop selectively acting drug candidates. Natural product hybrids represent a particular compound group. The components of hybrids constructed from different molecular entities may result in synergic action with diminished side effects.

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